Back of the envelope calculations, 2013

Back of the envelope calculations, 2013

What this course is about

The common language of physics grows out of a very small set of tools. A
clear understanding of these tools is sufficient to understand most talks.
As a result, this is the language in which experimental and theoretical
physicists talk to each other. This course is an introduction to this
language. About half the course will be devoted to constructing and analyzing
non-textbook problems, and checking whether they can lead to interesting
research problems.

Course contents

Dimensional analysis

A couple of examples of non-trivial systems treated in dimensional
analysis; conversion of units and the meaning of dimensionful "constants
of nature"; use of dimensional analysis in converting equations to
dimensionless form; the use of dimensional analysis in comparing the
importance of different physical effects on a system.
(7 hours)

Hands-on introduction to major databases, using them for literature
surveys, finding most important papers.
(3 hours)

Example problems

Several problems where estimates of effects are used to extract dimensional
quantities, unnecessary scales are removed, and simple models are written,
the model is solved, and perturbations in the remaining small effects are
set up.
(16 hours)